Character

Choose Character

• Pray
• Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering

1. Definitions – character

1. The sum of our traits that we are known by.

2. Reputation – How you are known
3. Faithfulness
4. Character is the total of what makes us up, or the “whole”. Integrity is the parts and pieces that make up the “whole” – We are going to talk about both. Many times the two are used interchangeably, but keep in mind the differences.

1. The milk of the Word vs. the meat of the Word

1. The milk is what Jesus or the Kingdom of God will do for you. – (Heb 5:12)

a) salvation

b) hope and comfort in troubled times

c) healing – physical, emotional

(all are benefits of Jesus’ work at The Cross or Atonement)

2. The meat of the Word is what you do for The Kingdom

1. Hebrews 5:12 (NIV)
   In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

a) baby food

2) James 2 : 8 (Mess) I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department." Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove

Show your faith – God expects it, from ourselves, show to family and friends benefit

1. an example - practical Christianity / meat of The Word
2. God does the supernatural – all miracles of past, present, and future – Jesus, conquering Love, re-establishing His Kingdom and making us part of it.
3. He expects us to do the natural (because of our faith – IN HIM) to show His Love to others – Shows Him to others (family, those around us) – perhaps we are the only God that person will see!

3) Character of God

a) Isaiah 11:5

5 Righteousness will be his belt
 and faithfulness the sash around his waist

note: faithfulness one of the deffs. Of character

2. 1 Thessalonians 5:24

The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

c) Deuteronomy 7:9

9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands

The Word says to “Be like Him” – 1 John 3:2

Kids want to be like their father – they naturally emulate their parents

We are made in His image, since He is of character and it is a trait that we all can and should develop, He expects us to be of character for our own good as well as everyone we come in contact with.

4) Characteristics Traits Of The Saints

a) Bible says anyone who is saved is a saint. – We ARE people of character

2. There are many character traits we can identify
   • Blameless
   • Bold
   • Faithful
   • Just
   • Godly
   • Humble
   • Attentive to Christ’s voice - John 10:3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
   • Prudent - Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
           And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
   • If we are saved The traits are in us – Romans 12:3 – up to us to develop them by exercising and using.

Job vs. Psalms

Contrast between Job / Psalms

• Pray

• Job wealthy and feared God – Bible says complete integrity (Job 1:1-12)

• Satan tries to drive wedge btwn Job / God – convinces God to allow

Tests. (I’m always amazed at the access that Satan seems to have to The God Of The Universe. [remember, God is perfect, everything about Him is legal and organized because of His perfection] - supiror)

• Story progresses – Job loses: family’, possessions, health

• people that knew him are convinced that through sin, he brought this on himself
• his wife in essence tells him he may as well “end it”

• 4 friends come to talk – Job didn’t talk for days

Friends just sat with him – (sometimes we don’t have to say anything to someone hurting. Just being there is what they need?)

• when they finally could talk to him tried to convince him to repent – his bad fortune caused by God punishing unrepented sin.

• God rebukes Jobs friend for thinking he had something to do with this – good in us always about Him ~ bag always about us or Satan.

• Job makes the case that he is righteous toward God and better than the unrighteous.

• Job not so concerned about what he’d lost, but why he lost it.

• Job asks God, “why” - (God never answers that question – they want argument not answer)

• God, then rebukes Job tells him don’t worry about it I Am Sovereign – what I say goes – tells Job whats what. 38:1- 41:34 
• Job is restored (chapter 42)

• lessons Job learned

1. God is sovereign – ALL AUTHORITY
2. Bad things will happen to good people – Gen 3, Satan (always testing, hates God and His people, Satan has limitations)
3. not that bad things wont happen, how we act when bad things happen – God want us to rely on Him alone.
4. God then fairness…not fairness then God
   
   

   • Even though Job, as well as his friends had the wrong theology (God causes hardship and bad things to happen to "punish or to teach lessons" to people) Job none the less proves he got the point when he didn't reject God when his own (incorrect) theology told him to (Paraphrased from Gregory A. Boyd's Is God To Blame ? - pp 94).

• Psalms are praise, laments, some wisdom (proverbs) all over the place. Not one story…a collection of conversations from the hart.

• Written mostly through David and son Solomon

• All Psalms put God first – acknowledge His Sovereignty

• They never ask “why me, I’m a good guy”

• Job asks until God sets him straight, “I’m righteous, why me?” – ignore God’s Sovereignty

• Psalms always seem to say “you are God, WHY NOT ME?”

• Psalms will ask for help – in doing so acknowledge God is only help

Ask class to draw conclusions btwn Job and Psalms

God's Word: The Power Unto Salvation

• Pray
• Text - Rom 1:16 : For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,^[a] for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

• John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.& 1:14, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth - (Who Word is) 

• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. & Romans 10:9-10 ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation - (promises salvation)

• The Word – Jesus – God gave us Words to live by
• They are only words if Jesus not God (to us) – lower case
• If Jesus IS God to us, they are upper case – The power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,
• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

- As soon as He is God to me and you, then His Words are what they are meant to be – Life

• Duet. 30:19 , Josh 1:8, 14:6, John 14:21 - When you and I choose to do what God tells us to do (esteem His Word), He can be Way to Salvation – we can have good success.

Duet. 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;, Josh 1:8, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. John 14:21 - He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

His Kingdom can (and will, with or without you and me) be re-established – where? (in your heart) – He wants you and I to be integral parts of His Kingdom!

When and only when we choose to be a part of His Kingdom, can we rely on the Word being THE POWER TO SALVATION!

Our purpose / His Purpose For Us

• Praise - cd

• Prayer

. . . —Luke 18:31, 34 and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.’ . . . But they understood none of these things . . . —Luke 18:31, 34

1. God called Jesus to (in human terms) absolute disaster – triumph in His eyes.

a) disciple saw events unfold and take place, didn’t understand at time.

b) Jesus (God) called Paul to same

3. God’s purpose is never same as man’s purpose

3. God’s purpose is to be a Father to all of His Creation (us)

Give us benefit of His Wisdom –

1 Cor. 3:19

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

James 3:17

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, [and] easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

2. God’s call comes to our lives as well

1. don’t confuse call with end purpose

2. purpose is never understood (at time – Jacob)

3. call requires obedience

4. obedience requires faith - God has given all “measure of faith” – Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

5. All faith given equally – “more highly” / like God saying “you’re no better”

6. faith requires relationship with Him – renew you mind / Rom 12:1&2

3. no one hears, or recognizes unless that person has a prior relationship with Him

1. Oswald Chamber put it this way –“ The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him.”

1. We MUST know Him as our Lord and savior
2. We must have know Him I – have relationship renew your mind – Rom 12:1-2
3. our purpose and God’s purpose must be one in same
4. we must let God be God – Word says to “lean not to our own understanding”
5. Prov. 1-4 particularly address

6. Let God and His Word guide every phase of our lives

God’s Word is very practical (every chapter, James in particular) and should be the determining standard for every question we have or compare every answer the world gives us.

When we know and rely on Him for Wisdom and we let him truly be our dad, only then will His Word be the standard that we compare everything to with confidence. Look at spiritual Father the same way we look at our earthly father

God the Father intended to be the template for fatherly behavior on earth (the way He treats His kids to be way we treat ours)

Wise As Serpents

Text -

Matt 10:16

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Read Matt :11–17

Reference today – Bible, Sparking Gems From The Greek

Jesus getting ready to send disciples out to witness – preach the Gospel –start the church as we know it. Think of that … a vital part of God re-establishing His Kingdom.

• No punctuation early Greek. I have to believe Jesus Knew this would be written down for you and me to take instruction from. So what He said is translated verily, verily.

• He was telling them and us to LISTEN UP! - WHAT I’M ABOUT TO SAY IS IMPORTANT.
• Whenever we see verily, verily or in some versions, truly, truly listen carefully to what He is going to say, it’s important!
• Jesus gave at least 6 instructions and some consequences for the

disciples and the people for listening or not listening to them.

• Get to vs 16 and tells them to be “wise as serpents”

In this verse, Jesus instructs His disciples (and us) to be “wise as serpents.” The word “wise” is the Greek word pronimos, which means prudent, careful, cunning, discerning, thoughtful, intelligent,

or sensible. This word perfectly depicts the behavior and actions of snakes. They are very careful, discerning, intelligent, and prudent in how they act. The Greek word for “serpent” is the word ophis, which is the normal Greek word that refers to a snake.

It is a fact that Jesus told us that we need to be “wise as serpents”! The Greek literally means we

need to be as prudent, discerning, intelligent, thoughtful, and careful as snakes! There is obviously something Jesus wanted us to learn from the behavior of snakes, so I took the time to think about this subject. Finally, I understood exactly why Jesus used this example and how it applies to all of us regarding

our families, businesses, ministries, or any opportunity God places before us in life.

• Snakes blend in with their surrounding

• They are in any particular place for one reason, that reason is survival.

First, when serpents move into a new territory, they don’t announce their presence. Instead, they lay low, stay quiet, and blend into the environment. In fact, you can walk right past a snake and not even realize it! Snakes have the ability to be nearly invisible. They are designed to be camouflaged. This camouflage serves as a protective covering. The vilest aggressor can walk right past, but the serpent is not noticed because it has blended so well into the landscape. That camouflage gives the serpent latitude to move about freely as it finds its way around new territory. As snakes evaluate a new situation, they see what kind of opportunities are in the area. They identify places of shelter. They find “hiding places” to protect themselves from attack. They observe to see where they can find the easiest prey. When all these facts are assimilated, the serpent is ready to act. But this “settling-in” period is a key time for a serpent.

And Jesus said there is wisdom in a serpent’s behavior from which we need to learn! When God calls you or me to do something new — to move to new territory or to seize a divine opportunity — it is wisdom for us to move carefully and slowly into that new phase of our lives.

A common mistake is to act too fast. Acting hastily before all the facts are gathered and assimilated can lead us to bad decisions based on incomplete, or even worse - false information. In fact, one serious mistake can cause us to lose an opportunity altogether. I can testify to you about this firsthand.

It is better to lay low, stay quiet, and blend into the environment for a while, learning from the sights and the facts we observe.

We need to apply this to every phase of our lives – we have to be sensitive to The Spirit so we can gather facts and information : Most serious mistakes are avoidable when moving to a new situation or environment. I strongly advise you to take your time and be sure of the actions you take before you ever act.

I would suggest that you first:

• Learn the landscape of your new environment.

• Locate places of spiritual shelter for you and your family.
• See what kind of attacks could potentially come against you.
• Take time to really understand the opportunities around you.
• Take advantage of your preparation time before you announce great and glorious

plans, making sure that you are completely informed of all the facts.

Once we have gathered all the facts and know who and what the dangers are we must act and seize the moment!

• Don’t let fear or conventional “wisdom” rule (lean not your own understanding - Proverbs)
• Be sensitive to The Holy Spirit’s leading
• New ventures God springs on us are always scary – remember: you must rely on Him “where God guides, He provides”. (Pastor Dan)
• But, how do I know it’s God? –

1. listen – spend as much time listening in quiet time as talking when praying. Do you like someone who talks all the time? Do we learn more by listening or talking?
2. get to know Him – thru His Word / Renew your mind (Rom 12:1&2, Josh 1:8)

3. When we act. we must act in faith – “without faith it is impossible to please Him” Heb 11:6

4. diligently seek Him

What if I miss it?

• Everyone misses God from time to time

• Rom 8:28

• don’t miss God on purpose, because you think He is going to bail out of your recklessness, but know that by doing something, it is easier to change course and make adjustments than miss an opportunity altogether because of being afraid to act. (example of stationary car harder to turn steering wheel than one moving). Take this in context.

• Diligently seek Him

Diligently seeking Him is always the answer, whether we are in good circumstances or bad.

The Authority Of Christ

• Praise
• Pray

Matt. 8:9

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Greek word used here is Strong’s # 1849 “exousia” translated – “it is lawful” “permission” the idea is delegated authority – the authority given by something or someone who can. The federal state or local government gives authority to the IRS, congress, street dept. military, police, etc

• Jesus impressed, not so much that the Roman centurion knew what authority was, but the fact that he realized that it was vital to be under authority (as he was) and likewise, to have authority over others (as he was, and in Jesus’ case, healing too).
• Clearly, Isaiah 9:6 Jesus has Jesus as the ultimate authority – NOTE WORD GOVERNMENT –NOT THERE BY MISTAKE OR MEANINGLESS.

The centurion also knew he (the centurion) was Jesus’ civil authority. But Jesus, because He had the power to heal (he sensed Jesus was superior)

, was his (centurion) supreme authority.

Old axiom – military in origin that you cannot give orders unless you can take orders.

• God’s whole Kingdom based on authority (chain of command) – A Father acting in His kids’ best interest.

Chain of command in best interest of:

1. military
2. family
3. civil
4. company
5. Etc. - Etc.

God’s Order:

1. God The Father – The Word (Jesus) – Holy Spirit
2. Jesus (on earth) -
   • man on earth / God in heaven - John 1:1, 1:14 (read), tempted in every point as we are, name above every name.

• Under the authority of God The Father – Lk 2:49 “about my father’s business” , John 8:28 “I do only that which my Father tells me”, Mark 14:36 “not my will but yours be done”

• Read John 8:25-8:40

3. Government – Federal, State and Civil – for the protection of the individual and the family.

1 Cor 12:28

And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues

4. Pastor – to guide father and mother in spiritual things so they can guide the family in spiritual things.

5. Father – Genesis / God’s image – man - dominion

6. Mother / wife – Genesis – Adam’s helper

7. Children (family) – To learn by being under authority and be protected as they learn the lessons of life in relation to all spiritual things.

Authority established by God for our protection – example: the family established for the protection and well being of its members.

Matt. 18:3

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

• become as little children (under there Fathers protection and Authority)

• God being perfect established His system of order or authority which is in turn perfect.

• System is not broken, through sin, those who administer it are.

(misuse of power, accused etc.)

Prov 29:2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

1. God gives us a choice, accept Him or not. -free gift
   1. garden of Eden – man not forced to worship God (obedience or disobedience)
   2. Eph 2:8-9
   3. God made a choice to sacrifice His Son
   4. We have a choice to accept or reject. John 3;16, 17 (read)
2. When we choose God through His Son

a. we choose every thing God makes available to us – Why would we not want it? : (List – count blessings)

2. We have accepted free gift of salvation

c. We are joint heirs to Dad’s Kingdom -

Rom 8 :17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory

• If we accept the salvation God offers to us we can an will achieve spiritual freedom.
• Our lives will be changed. Those around us.
• Stay with it – meditate on Word daily – (Rom 12:2 Josh 1:8)

John 4:23
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

If we choose to be under the authority of the Word of God, we will do what the Word says, and since we are spirits, we can then expect the things the Word promises – salvation, freedom and truth, to be under a loving Father protective umbrella.

John 3:1 -18

• Pray
• Text passage John 3:1-18

John 3

Born from Above

2. There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, "Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it."

• Pharisees num. About 6000 in Israel
• Very important to them to show outward religion (fasting, praying, ceremonial washing –etc)
• Knew messiah coming
• Very opposed to Jesus
• Jesus very critical of them
• Many theories on why he went at night but I think so no one would see him
• Evidently, the Pharisees had drawn a conclusion about Jesus.
• Called him teacher out of respect / I think he knew who Jesus was (John 7:50,51 & 19:39)

3. Jesus said, "You're absolutely right (about being a teacher – knowing more than you). Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."

• No kidding
• Very well could have taken the attitude of “don’t even try to think of yourself as equal, but I believe Jesus Knew Nic. knew who Jesus was.
• Everything Jesus did pointed to God’s Kingdom & He wanted to get across not only to Nic. But to you and I that we must accept the salvation God is giving to us. Eph 2:8-9

        "How can anyone," said Nicodemus, "be born who has already been born and grown up? You can't re-enter your mother's womb and be born again. What are you saying with this 'born-from-above' talk?"

 5-6 Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation,(Gen. 1:1) the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.

 7-8 "So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."

 9 Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"

 10-12 Jesus said, "You're a respected teacher of Israel and you don't know these basics? Listen carefully. I'm speaking sober truth to you. I speak only of what I know by experience; I give witness only to what I have seen with my own eyes. There is nothing secondhand here, no hearsay. Yet instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions. If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don't believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can't see, the things of God?

 13-15 "No one has ever gone up into the presence of God except the One who came down from that Presence, the Son of Man. In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert (a type of Jesus Num 21:6-9 )so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.

 16-18 "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (Message)

God’s purpose now is to re-establish Kingdom, in doing, He, sacrificed His Son to “buy back”

- Jesus came 1^st time as a Savior not a Judge

• Jews in those days believed Messiah would judge mankind – they had reason to believe that (Psalm 98:9, Isaiah 3:13)

they rejected Jesus, so salvation had to come from non-Jews (gentiles)Jews did not see Church age (we are in now) – Gospel supposed to come through Jews:

16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God ⁾did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

• notice He does not save by love – He saves by belief - loves all unconditionally - saved or not: God will love us even going to hell.

He saves by Grace – His Grace comes by faith in His Word Eph 2:8-9 – you must be born again (John 3) by accepting and relying on His Word

Ephesian 1:5-6 – He chose us to be adopted sons through (because of)Jesus

John 14:6 – way, truth , light

Heb 2:9-11 - Captain = Gr. archegegos >author >take the lead

Jesus makes it clear that only through Him can we enter into God’s family (children of)

18 "^(AC)He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of ^(AD)the only begotten Son of God.

- You never surprise God

- penalty is always (with God) pre-determined

(NKJV)

Romans 10:9-11

9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."^[